“When it comes to temporary entry of business professionals we signalled that we are ready to have that conversation in the context of the Doha round,” U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab told reporters.“But obviously it has to be in conjunction with our consultations with Congress,” she said after a session on services at the World Trade Organization.The issue of granting temporary business visas to skilled foreign workers is controversial as many politicians consider it an immigration issue that should not be included in trade pacts.

Yeah. So after seven years of fruitless talks, stymied because of disputes about agricultural subsidies, now -- in an election year -- the Bush administration says it wants to move ahead? And so it is going to ask Obama and the Democrats in Congress to approve allowing more foreign workers to come into the US? Yeah, that'll happen, I'm sure. Pardon me for suspecting that Obama and the Democrats are being set up to be blamed when these WTO talks collapse.